About Jesse Jackson Jr's so-called ' Electability' Problem

We've been discussing over the past week, the appointment of Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate by Gov. Blago.

Friday, it was revealed that Senator Harry Reid had his nose all up in Illinois Politics, deeming 3 Black possible candidates - Danny Davis, Emil Jones and Jesse Jackson, Jr. - 'Unelectable'.

I have written in this post HERE, why I thought this wasn't about anyone BUT Jesse Jackson, Jr.

I have always thought the ' electability' argument was bogus from the get go.

Here is Harry Reid on MTP:



IF Jesse Jackson, Jr. wasn't strong enough to defend himself as a sitting United States Senator, in a Democratic Primary in 2010, then so be it.

I have always believed that there would be a Democratic Primary in 2010. And whatever candidate emerged as the victor would be in good shape for the General Election, because the GOP bench is still weak in Illinois, and I don't see it gaining that much strength by 2010.

Our poster NMP said:

This is real trouble for Democrats! True enough Bobby Rush's recent statements were over the top and too heavy handed, but he wasn't lying about the hypocrisy of white Democrats. This is some Dixicrat shit! It's one thing to oppose a racial appointment, but it's a whole different matter to block African Americans from appointment. This is a George Wallace move. Reid all but stood in the doorway of the Capital. I've said it a million times before, but it deserves to be said a million more times. The Democratic Party is a plantation party and Black folks have been far too willing to enslave themselves to it. Whether it's the Democratic political establishment or the so-called progressive arm of the Party, Black folks, whom they depend on, are not well represented in the leadership ranks. They talk at us, down to us or dismiss us and every four years come up with excuse-after-excuse as to why it's not political prudent to run African American candidates statewide.

I agree with this. This is the same old BS that Black folk hear all the time about WHY they can't be considered for statewide office. Instead of the STATE Democratic Party getting BEHIND Black candidates, they decide from ' on high' that 'these Blacks cannot be elected. '

Neither Carol Moseley Braun or Barack Obama was the 'Machine' candidate. They were 'unelectable' outsiders from CHICAGO no less, who won the nominations.

And, about the ' unelectability' of Jesse Jackson, Jr.

I was reading on OpenLeft, and someone brought up a fabulous point about the ' electability' of Jesse Jackson, Jr. The likes of Harry Reid, et al, backed Harold Ford, Jr., and damn near everyone in his family had been arrested, indicted or convicted. But, they supported his DLC behind.

Jesse Jackson only has his father, who, by my account, had never been arrested (on anything other civil rights issues). His brothers are solid businessmen. His sisters have led quiet private lives.

Quiet as it's been kept, Jesse Jackson, Jr. has shown a strong independent streak beginning with his quest for his Congressional Seat. There have been some moves by him that I have questioned over the years, but he's been willing to take risks on candidates that were NOT machine-approved. Some won, some lost, but he still was willing to do it. And, he's been building bridges and reaching out to other communities from the moment he entered Congress. Jesse Jackson, Jr. wasn't the 'Machine' candidate when he ran for Congress. Neither was his wife the 'Machine' candidate when she ran for Alderman. They won IN SPITE OF the 'Machine', not because of it. And, there are those who haven't forgotten that either.

I'm not buying the 'electability' argument. In fact, I believe it's just the opposite. They were afraid of him WINNING the seat in 2010. And once he did that, it would be hard to get him out, unless HE wanted to leave it.

Just call me a tinfoil hat wearer.

Well, isn't this interesting: Reid pressured Blagojevich not to appoint Jackson Jr. to Obama’s U.S. Senate seat

Uh huh.

How it gets more interesting by the minute.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times:

Reid pressured Blagojevich not to appoint Jackson Jr. to Obama’s U.S. Senate seat
January 2, 2009
BY NATASHA KORECKI, CHRIS FUSCO AND LYNN SWEET

Days before Gov. Blagojevich was charged with trying to sell President-elect Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder, top Senate Democrat Harry Reid made it clear who he didn’t want in the post: Jesse Jackson, Jr., Danny Davis or Emil Jones.

Rather, Reid called Blagojevich to argue he appoint either state Veterans Affairs chief Tammy Duckworth or Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Sources say the Senate majority leader pushed against Jackson and Davis — both democratic congressmen from Illinois — and against Jones — the Illinois Senate president who is the political godfather of President-elect Barack Obama — because he did not believe the three men were electable. He feared losing the seat to a Republican in a future election.

Read rest of the article at link above.

First of all, this isn't about Davis or Jones, who would have been nothing but caretakers anyway. Actually, scratch Davis. Nobody thinking who actually follows Danny Davis, thought that he was SINCERELY considering leaving his SAFE Congressional seat, and the ability to pad that federal pension for another easy decade for something that would be OVER in 2010.

Jones, who had retired from the Illinois Senate, would have been a caretaker. Period. He's in his 70's, and this would have been the capper for a long public service career.

No. This was all about Jesse Jackson, Jr.

Deciding from ' on high', that Jesse Jackson, Jr. couldn't win.

Well, excuse me, if I think that's up to Jesse Jackson, Jr. to try and if he doesn't win in a Democratic Primary in 2010, so be it. But, if he won the Democratic Primary, it would be up to the ILLINOIS Democratic Party to put out and help him get over the hump in 2010.

Now, we 'hear', from the likes of Politico.com :

Sources say Blagojevich’s s successor if he’s removed from office, Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, is likely to point someone who is African- American, but likely not Burris because of the taint or Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill), who is often mentioned as a possibility but would be too controversial.

Sources said the choice is likely to be someone young and dynamic, like Dan Seals, who ran in a northeast Illinois House district in 2006 and 2008. It needs to be someone who would appeal to the white Republicans in downstate Illinois, to prevent the seat going to the GOP in a future election.

Let me get this straight right now.

The 'Black Street' don't know Dan Seals. I know him,because I'm a poltiical junkie, but color me cynical about this. I'm going to tell you why this is SUS-PECT to me. Quinn had all the time to get this out to the newspapers when this first broke about Blago (to position himself for when he became Governor). You don't nominate someone Black that Black people have never heard of, and has no connection to the Black community - other than skin color.

If Quinn had 'dropped' his intentions of nominating someone African-American, or at least making it clear that Black folks were on this list, it would be a whole other story. But, He DID NOT.

Sorry, if my cynical self isn't buying it.

What is his base?

I'm just askin'.

He's a Half-Black man with a NON-Black wife, who has NO Chicago connections whatsoever. The Black vote IS Cook County, and we don't know him.

So, the thought that they'd throw away Burris - who IS well known and rooted in the Black community.

For Seals, who is a NOBODY in the Black community.

I know some folks live in post-Obama racial delusion. But, wake up.

That SEALS would be chosen over the numerous presently elected Black officials?

Uh huh.

Yes, Barack Obama was a nobody. But, he was a nobody who built his FOUNDATION in the Black community.

I don't speak of where other folks live. I'm a Chicago gal. I went east to school, but came back home after college and graduate school.

Barack Obama built his foundation in the Black community. Folks want to pretend that I don't know where I live.

Dan Seals doesn't live in the Black Community. He doesn't work in the Black community. He doesn't work for the Black community. He has absolutely NO connection to the Black community of Cook County, and we ARE the Black vote in Illinois.

Black folk in Cook County aren't going to be his ' base', just because he's Black. He doesn't even have a political base where he lives, because he couldn't even win the elections where he ran in not one, BUT TWO OVERWHELMINGLY PRO-DEMOCRATIC CYCLES.

If folks want to live in post-racial eutopia, that's fine. But, I'm talking about Illinois politics. And, choosing a Black candidate who doesn't even have a Black voting base from which to depend upon and build for the 2010 Democratic Primary, makes even the possibility of the choice of Seals, just as tokenist as Clarence Thomas.

The beauty and barbershops don't know Dan Seals. And can't point to one reason to choose him - other than he's Black, and despite what folks might think - Black folk DO need something more than that.

Black folk know Roland Burris. That's why we can separate him from Blago.

We don't know JACK about Dan Seals, and 2 years isn't long enough to build it.

Look at the visual.

Work with a Sista.

They would kick out Burris, who has a 30 year history with the Black community. Who won 4 STATEWIDE elections.

To bring in this half Black guy that nobody knows shyt about with absolutely NO connections to the Black community that hasn't won ANYTHING.

And, Chicago/Cook County, has all these politicos and Black business folk that could be chosen who actually HAVE TIES to the Black community.

Stand back and look and see how that looks to us.

What reason would I have to support Dan Seals - other than he is Black. I know a half dozen WHITE candidates that I could POINT TO things that they have done for the Black community - before I could support Seals. There are Black folks who could stand up and speak for these White candidates - because they've worked with them on projects. And, they understand Urban life.

Who Black is going to stand up for Seals and vouch for him on anything related to the Black community?

There's a difference between supporting someone because they're Black, and being asked to support them ONLY because they're Black.


And being told by the likes lf Harry Reid and Pat Quinn that THIS is the kind of Negro that is acceptable?

Hell-to-the-naw.

If I'm going to support a Black candidate that supposedly ' has no chance', then I'd just as soon see Jesse Jackson, Jr. in that spot.

I want someone to tell me, how Seals is a better candidate than Jackson Jr., who has a legislative record, who has an actual base, who actually has been building coalitions across communities from the moment he stepped into Congress, and he's actully WON elections.



PS- For those of you who say that folks like me can't see the forest, and that Reid was only trying to protect the Seat for 2010, the Democratic Primary IS the battle for 2010. And whomever wins that will be able to look good for victory in November 2010.

PPSS-When this all began, 'the talk' in the beauty and barbershops was, "Man, it looks like they're trying to knock out all the Black candidates." To wit, Black folk were called ' paranoid'. And the whole, ' well, we just need the most qualified person for the job.', bullshyt, which always, once that phrase is used, seems to EXCLUDE Black folks. Guess we weren't so ' paranoid' after all.

Jesse Jackson, Jr. on CNN

Was Jesse Jackson, Jr. Wrong To Do The Press Conference?

I was listening to Hardball today, and I saw the guy from BET (I would get into it how I can't see Ron Daniels, Ron Walter, Charles Ogletree, Bev Smith, etc. as political commentators, yet get someone from BET.....but I disgress.) said that Jesse Jr. took a wrong turn with the Press Conference, and seeing as he had spent the last decade running away from being like his father, that this was JUST like his father.

Do you agree or disagree about the Press Conference.

Me?

I don't know. I think Jr. was damned either way any how from the moment this broke, in that he was attached to this in any way. He should have taken the hint when an ambitious weasel like Luis Gutierrez bowed out - that was the neon sign to run for the hills.

I want to make it clear. I've been pretty upfront. I thought Jackson, Jr. SHOULD get the Senate seat. He was more than qualified for it. I understood the apprehensions - could he actually win votes downstate? I had serious doubts about it myself, but I thought the 2 year headstart that he would have, proving himself on the job, plus doing old-fashioned retail politics, I gave him a 50/50 chance in 2010. I knew nobody would work harder to win over those downstate doubters. I knew his wife would be a big help - she is a smart, charming, disarming woman. I thought the two of them would pretty much live downstate if he got the appointment.

But, Jr. broke the cardinal rule for Black folks, and you know what it is - you can't have a whiff of corruption around you. He already had 1 1/2 strikes against him because his last name was Jackson. This mess this week - well, it just shortcircuited his ambition for a decade. And, I think that's a damn shame.